Take Me Back | ✔️

12. PICTURES

WE STOPPED AT TRAVIS' HOUSE, knowing that I might pass out again if I don't get the wound fixed, and it was closer to his rather than going to mine. He insisted, and for the life of me, I don't know why I didn't argue. It's just so tiring—every exhaustion that I've felt ever since this has started was already getting to me. Including the lack of sleep, I've gotten ever since Michael died.

I've never once longed for coffee, knowing that it has side effects on me, giving me a headache. That's why I settled for waking myself up by my own tactics—working hard nonstop because if I do, everything will come crashing down on me.

Like how I'm feeling right now.

Alex had gotten out of the car first, opening the door for me, and wrapping his arm around my shoulders, protecting me with his build and keeping Travis' blazer on me perfectly placed while Travis ran up on the other side, his arm around my back leading me up to his doorsteps.

Travis, fishing out his keys at the pocket of his pants, turning the knob on the door open.

Mrs. Aries, the once woman I've known to be the acting parent of Travis, pulled open the door, her eyes widening as she saw me. "Sam!" Her arms went around me, pulling me off of the two men's grip and into hers. "I've missed you! I keep telling Travis to bring you over but he's so stubborn."

I chuckled, my unwounded arm going around her back and patting her. "You don't look a day older, Mrs. Aries. I missed you, too."

And it was true. She never did look a day older from where I saw her years ago except for the gray hairs than took over her black ones, and there were more wrinkles around her eyes than before; her hair was still tied into a bun with the hairnet, and she was wearing jeans, a plain gray shirt, with an apron tied around her waist.

"Oh, you look a little pale, honey," she exclaimed, pressing the back of her hand on my forehead. "You seem to be running a fever. Do you want some soup? Chicken noodle or tomato rice?"

"Any," I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. My body felt so cold—I was cold and shivering under this blazer.

"I'm going to take Sam upstairs, okay?" Travis pulled me away, his arm around me again to support me.

Without waiting for Mrs. Aries to respond, all of us went upstairs. Everything looked the same in the mansion, the walls looked like they were repainted, and the wooden floors looked like they were refurnished and were waxed every single day.

His room—it was still perfectly lit, but the space was bigger, almost seem like they took down the next room beside his and included it with his. The bed was different, clearly new, and a king sized bed. That's what I noticed throughout his room, everything so different, newer and larger. The walls, that used to be blue, were now painted in lavender.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Hands down, lavender."

Except for the two pictures. They were the same, even the frames. One was him with his sister, Elizabeth, and the other one was him with his family.

"What? All these years and you still can't get a new family picture?" I joked, feeling my head go light. When I turned, Travis was holding up his own medical kit and I hadn't noticed or heard the door closing behind us.

Travis shook his head, lowering himself so I couldn't see the expression on his face.

"I can stitch myself up," I voiced out, taking the needle with the thread in out of his hands, but he didn't move, he held on tighter to the needle. "Okay, seriously?"